A transfer that ran out of room
Spanish police launched an operation early Friday to move migrants who had been living precariously on Ceuta's beaches into temporary tents at the city's port. The new site, at Muelle del Poniente, can hold 1,700 people. But the operation quickly became chaotic: more than 2,000 people were left outside after the few available places were filled. According to estimates from the newspaper El País, around 4,000 people were still at the beaches before the transfer began.[S1][S2]
The operation started at 7:00 local time with 150 police officers deployed. Crowds of migrants ran to secure a spot, prompting officers to intervene. There were shoving, rubber batons and warning shots fired into the air to contain an initial stampede. Four hours later, the first port camp was completely full. A few available tents also filled within minutes, angering those left at the gate. Some returned to makeshift camps on the beaches of El Trampolín and Benítez, less than a kilometre away.[S1][S2][S3]
A crisis that began in late July
The migration crisis in Ceuta dates back to late July, when tens of thousands of people entered the small Spanish enclave from Morocco by land and sea. The territory covers 18.5 square kilometres and has about 80,000 residents. An estimated 70,000 people crossed during the mass entry. While most returned to Morocco, several thousand stayed in Ceuta in vulnerable conditions. Local authorities put the number still present at 13,000, though the central government cites a significantly lower figure.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
The new port facilities are meant to house some of those remaining and ease pressure on certain areas. Migrants there will have access to showers, services, food and new beds, according to official sources. But the number of places falls far short of the estimated need. Since the crisis began, there have been repeated moments of tension and protests by local residents demanding a return to normality.[S1][S3]
Political blame and legal hurdles
The transfer took place hours after a court rejected a police union's request to halt the move to temporary tents at the port. The decision came amid a dispute between the central government led by Socialist Pedro Sánchez and the local administration of Ceuta, controlled by the opposition People's Party (PP). The local port authority had refused to cede control of the facilities, prompting the central government to take over the installation directly. The move was harshly criticised by the right and far right, who blame the national executive for the crisis.[S1][S3][S4]
The PP described the transfer as absolute chaos and demanded Sánchez's resignation. The party's general secretary, Miguel Tellado, wrote on X: immediate return, government resignation. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, speaking from Melilla, said it was unforgivable to keep seeing images of the morning's runs and disturbances, with state security forces overwhelmed because they lacked means and orders to act. He added that 50 days on, the loss of control in Ceuta as an invaded city is total. Vox leader Santiago Abascal posted on X that this is how they should leave, running, and as soon as possible, alongside a video of people running.[S3][S4]
What happens to those still in Ceuta
The central government wants to speed up the return of migrants, but under Spanish law each person must be identified individually to determine whether they have a right to asylum or can be sent back. Thousands of minors require special protection, further complicating the management of the humanitarian crisis. Many migrants spent the hours after the transfer waiting in long queues to be identified and registered by authorities so they could access the new facilities.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
